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Fort Myers MLB Pioneer Pat Putnam Dies at 72

9/7/2026

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Pat Putnam died on Aug. 25 at age 72 in Punta Gorda, Florida.
He was the first Fort Myers native to reach Major League Baseball.
The Texas Rangers selected him 22nd overall in the 1975 secondary MLB draft.
In 1976 with Asheville, he hit .361 with 24 homers and 142 RBIs, winning the Triple Crown.
He earned Seattle’s MVP in 1983 and later hit 37 homers for Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters.

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Story summary

Pat Putnam died on Aug. 25 at age 72 in Punta Gorda, Florida.
He was the first Fort Myers native to reach Major League Baseball.
The Texas Rangers selected him 22nd overall in the 1975 secondary MLB draft.
In 1976 with Asheville, he hit .361 with 24 homers and 142 RBIs, winning the Triple Crown.
He earned Seattle’s MVP in 1983 and later hit 37 homers for Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters.